Discover a simple and nutritious ground turkey Bolognese recipe that’s packed with flavor. Perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner!
Contents
Real Italian Flavor, Easy to Follow Recipe!
I am not going to tell you a rich, flavorful bolognese sauce can be made in 30 minutes. This is the real-deal, and the traditional process takes time.
What I will tell you is that it delivers real Italian flavor and is a simple process to learn.
This is one of my favorite meal preps. While I am sautéing the veggies and allowing the sauce to simmer, I prep Spaghetti Squash or zucchini noodles to serve it over.
It’s also a very special dinner! Grab a bottle of red wine and simmer up this sauce as a decadent meal for 2, or a fun family gathering.
Turkey bolognese packs in the flavor but delivers a leaner, high protein meal.
This is a recipe you’ll make again and again!
What You’ll Need
- Ground Turkey
- Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes (these are favored in Italian recipes because they are low acid, meaning they produce a sweet, rich and vibrant sauce without added sugar)
- Chicken Broth (or use vegetable broth)
- Fresh Rosemary and Fresh Thyme (use dried herbs if you have them on hand!)
- Parmesan Rind (this adds a salty umami flavor, but is optional!)
- Heavy Cream (this is optional. I prefer this dish without it, but experiment and add it if your family enjoys a richer sauce!)
How to Make this Easy Turkey Bolognese Recipe
Step 1: Into a large skillet, add olive oil, onions, celery, and carrots. Saute the vegetables over medium heat for about 15 minutes. The combination of these 3 vegetables is called a Soffritto or “holy trinity” in Italian cooking, and is the flavor base of countless dishes.
Step 2: The vegetables are done when they have begun to brown and caramelize. Do not rush this step – the browned bits are the first step to producing a traditional, flavorful sauce.
Step 3: Add in the ground turkey, and break it up while allowing it to brown and cook through.
Step 4: Into the pan, add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Sauté along with the turkey and soffritto, for about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Into the pan, add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, fresh herbs, and the optional parmesan rind. Bring the sauce to a low simmer, and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the herbs from the sauce, and stir in heavy cream, if desired.
Step 7: Serve the sauce hot over pasta, gluten free pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or grain of choice. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
How to Serve Healthy Turkey Bolognese
Traditionally bolognese is served with pasta. Use gluten free pasta if you or your family requires it. We use this Italian corn pasta often in my house.
Over Spaghetti Squash: My favorite way to serve this is over a hot roasted spaghetti squash. The squash strands are a great sub for higher carb pasta!
With Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles): Zucchini noodles are another great low-carb option and a way to add more veggies to this meal. Tip: I don’t cook the zoodles! They retain a better crisp texture if you add them to your plate raw and serve hot sauce over the top.
How to Store Leftovers
Once the sauce has fully cooled, store it in airtight containers and refrigerate the sauce for up to 4 days. Reheat the sauce by adding it back into a skillet with a little water, and heating over medium high heat for about 10 minutes.
To Freeze: I love this as a meal prep to have frozen options ready to go! Freeze either in individual portions, or as a family meal. Add into 6-ounce freezer safe containers, or a larger freezer safe container, and freeze for up to 5 months.
Allow the sauce to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for an hour, prior to adding to a skillet with a little water to reheat.
Variations and Tips
Other Meats: The process of bolognese is similar for other ground meats. Make this sauce with ground chicken, ground beef, ground elk, or ground bison! Traditionally bolognese is made with a mixture of ground beef and Italian pork sausage.
No Fresh Herbs?: Instead of adding fresh rosemary and thyme, add either 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary and dried thyme, or 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning.
Use Chicken Sausage: Use 1/2 ground turkey and 1/2 Italian chicken sausage to make this sauce more decadent and flavorful.
Other Ground Turkey Recipes
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Turkey Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounce crushed tomatoes (large can), San Marzano recommended
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or sub vegetable broth
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves dried
- parmesan rind optional, but recommended!
- 1/4 cup heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Into a large skillet, add olive oil, onions, celery, and carrots. Saute the vegetables over medium heat for about 15 minutes. The combination of these 3 vegetables is called a Soffritto or “holy trinity” in Italian cooking, and is the flavor base of countless dishes.
- The vegetables are done when they have begun to brown and caramelize. Do not rush this step – the browned bits are the first step to producing a traditional, flavorful sauce.
- Add in the ground turkey, and break it up while allowing it to brown and cook through.
- Into the pan, add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Sauté along with the turkey and soffritto, for about 5 minutes.
- Into the pan, add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, fresh herbs, and the optional parmesan rind. Bring the sauce to a low simmer, and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the herbs from the sauce, and stir in heavy cream, if desired.
- Serve the sauce hot over pasta, gluten free pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or grain of choice. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes, if desired.
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